Love Me Right
by Aquagirl15
Summary: A collection of Inuyasha romance oneshots mostly MirSan. 3rd oneshot: Miroku is covering a shift in the bedding department of a retail store. What happens when he finds a cute, vulnerable Sango sleeping on one of the model beds? AU, bumped rating to T lol
1. I'll Try to Kiss you if you Let Me

**I'll Try to Kiss you if you Let Me**

_The drops of rain they fall all over, this awkward silence makes me crazy. The glow inside burns light upon her. I'll try to kiss you if you let me. (This can't be the end.) Tidal waves, they rip right through me. Tears from eyes roll, cold and sad. Pick me up now, I need you so bad. _

Blink-182 'Down'

As Sango tied the last of her demon slayer's armor on, she turned to smile at her two-tailed cat demon. Kirara was giving her mistress a puzzled look.

"Thought we might go out for a day of training." She said to her small friend. In reality, this wasn't really what Sango wanted to do. She just knew she had to escape the village for the day. Or rather, she needed to escape the _monk _for the day.

* * *

After much begging on Kagome's part, Inuyasha had allowed the party to return to the village Kaede lived in. Unfortunately for the half-demon, Kagome ran off to her own time before anyone had woken up. Inuyasha, of course, had followed the school-girl, grumbling the whole time about how he never should have brought them back in the first place. All of this had occurred before Sango woke, but Miroku had told her what had happened as they ate breakfast. 

Apparently Kagome's departure had been quite silent, but she nevertheless managed to wake the monk, who was a light sleeper. And, as was to be expected, Inuyasha's leave had been the opposite: loud, and filled with many curses for good measure. Miroku wondered how Sango had managed to sleep through it all.

But Sango had other matters on her mind during breakfast. She had expected Kagome to leave, and was now left with the prospect of spending the whole day with Miroku. Sango worried about what she would do all day, with Miroku so close at hand. She had finally come to the conclusion that she would go out to train and leave the monk to his devices.

* * *

Sango walked out of the room she and Kagome had slept in the night before. She felt Miroku looking at her as she pulled her long, dark hair into a high pony-tail. 

"Are you going out, Sango-chan?"

"Oh, um, yes," Sango answered. Miroku was kneeling next to a recently extinguished fire. The room smelt of smoke and the odd spicy scent that lingered wherever Miroku had been. If she was honest with herself, Sango had to admit she like this smell.

Miroku smiled serenely.

"Shall I come fetch you at lunch time?" Sango reddened slightly, but nodded.

"Thank you, Houshi-sama." Glancing around, she saw Kirara and nodded her companion out. Sango picked up her weapon and pulled the shoji screen away from the door. The cat demon led her master out, flicking her tails in excitement.

Miroku watched the pair leave and listened as Sango asked Kirara if she was ready. He heard the familiar rushing sound, and knew Kirara was now larger than a full grown lion. He smiled to himself as they took off. He knew perfectly well why Sango had left. While it made him both proud and upset that he made Sango nervous, he was somewhat crushed that she had left and couldn't wait to share lunch with the young demon-slayer.

* * *

A few hours later, Sango sat on a tree stump and pushed her sweaty bangs off her forehead. She untied a small water pouch from her waist and took a drink. Kirara, who had resumed her smaller form while they rested, jumped up onto Sango's lap and turned her big eyes on the girl. Sango laughed and poured some water into a small indention on the ground. 

"You sure do know what you want, Kirara." She commented as her pet drank the water. _I only wish I knew as well. _She thought. Sango leaned back and her face felt the relief of a mid-morning breeze.

"Back to it then." The warrior chided herself after a few minutes. "I think I'll work on my strength and speed with Hiraikotsu."

Sango rolled her shoulders to prepare for throwing the heavy boomerang. Kirara turned back into her larger self and growled softly.

"You can race it if you want, silly demon." Sango said with a grin. Then she braced herself, put all her power towards her right arm, and hurled Hiraikotsu through the air. Kirara took off after it. The weapon flew many, many yards before heading back to its owner. Sango braced herself again and caught the boomerang. She smiled.

"That seemed pretty good. What do you think Kirara?" The cat demon gave a roar in agreement. "Faster this time, then." Sango put her whole weight into the throw this time. Hiraikotsu came flying back much sooner than Sango had anticipated. The girl's eyes widened as she jumped back slightly and caught her weapon in her left hand.

Hiraikotsu, however, hadn't been ready to stop when Sango grabbed it out of the air. Its momentum flung her arm and shoulder backwards quickly and painfully. The demon slayer gave a cry of pain and surprise, and promptly dropped her weapon, which tumbled away from her. Kirara came rushing over to her injured master. Sango was gingerly testing her arm out. She knew it wasn't broken, but something was definitely wrong. She forced a smile for her friend's sake.

"It's fine, girl, I just pulled a muscle." _I hope. _She added in her head. "Miroku will be coming to get us for lunch soon anyhow, so he can make sure nothing's too serious."

Sango turned around to pick Hiraikotsu up, and made sure to lift it with her right arm. Her left one hung oddly limp, but Sango tried to ignore that. She walked back into the village with a small Kirara weaving in between her legs. She met Miroku moving through a small crowd to get to her. He smiled and grabbed her hand. Sango winced slightly as he tugged on her injured arm. Miroku stopped walking at once; he had heard her wince.

"Did I hurt you, Sango-chan?"

"N-no, I hurt myself while I was training." Shame filled Sango's face as she blushed. Miroku shook his head.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. We are human, we have flaws, it is life. What we need to be worried about now is your arm."

"Shoulder actually, I think." Sango corrected.

"We'll check it out when we get back to the hut."

* * *

Miroku waited patiently for Sango to change back into her yukata, though she never managed to get her left arm through the sleeve. The monk told her it was better this way because Sango would have just had to take that part of her yukata off again for him to look at her. Miroku gently touched Sango's shoulder, being careful not to put too much pressure on it. With his free hand he pushed Sango's hair over her uninjured shoulder, out of the way. _So soft._ He couldn't help thinking, resisting the urge to burry his hands in Sango's dark locks. 

He put his other hand on her shoulder now and began to push it back and forth. Sango grimaced at first, but after awhile Miroku could see the pain had subsided. He moved to press his fingers into the area around her shoulder blades.

Sango had felt very exposed from the moment she had walked into the room with her yukata half-off. It was true that she still had an under-robe on, so Miroku could see nothing, but the demon slayer felt like a thin layer of silk between her skin and Miroku's hands was not enough. But soon, as she had gotten used to his practiced touch, Sango had begun to forget that she was half-clothed and started to enjoy the sensations Miroku's touch was sending through her body.

"I think," Miroku said, drawing Sango out of her slight daze, "you dislocated it."

"What do we do, Houshi-sama?"

"I'll have to push it back into place." Miroku answered simply. "But I'm sure that will hurt much less if I continue working with your shoulder." Sango nodded and, in spite of herself closed her eyes and enjoyed Miroku 'working with' her shoulder.

Miroku as well was getting more comfortable behind her. He leaned closer to the young woman, taking in the scent of her hair. Sango had begun to lean backwards slightly and her hair came cascading towards Miroku. She seemed not to notice, but it was brushing against Miroku's neck and tickled every time Sango moved even the slightest inch. But he liked it and didn't push her hair back away.

"Sango," Miroku said after awhile.

"Yes?"

"I think I should try pushing your shoulder back now. It'll get worse the longer we leave it."

"You're right," She said after a long silence. She was disappointed, but knew he was just doing this to make her feel better. He had no idea how much she enjoyed him behind her, rubbing the pain out of her shoulder.

Miroku rose to his knees and moved to kneel by Sango's side.

"Ready?" he asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be" Sango replied, bracing herself.

"One, two, three." Miroku pushed on Sango's shoulder and upper arm. She closed her eyes tightly as she felt something slide back into place with a searing pain.

She heard Miroku move back behind her.

"Does it hurt?" He asked his chest against her back.

"Not as much as I thought it would." Sango gasped, taking deep breaths. It wasn't just the pain that winded her, it was also how close Miroku had become. He squeezed her should gently and Sango felt the numbing, wonderful feeling of his touch coming back.

"I'll help it a little more but then we need to put your arm in a sling. Kaede probably has some bandages."

'A little more' wasn't nearly enough for either of them. Sango almost protested when Miroku got up to find Kaede, but she knew how odd it would seem if she asked for more. _He doesn't like you that way Sango._ She told herself. _If he did it might be ok, but he doesn't so…no._ But another voice in her head answered; _Ah, but then why is he so worried about you? Why is it _you_ he always gropes? Why does he always wear that odd little smiled whenever he sees you? _

"Shut up," She whispered to herself, bringing her knees up to her chest.

* * *

Miroku returned shortly with white cloth bandages in his arms. 

"Sango-chan?" he said quietly, peering at the demon slayer. Sango lifted her head up off her knees and looked at Miroku slowly.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, seeing the pained look on her face.

"No, I'm fine." Sango lowered her knees and allowed Miroku to put her arm in a sling. After he was done tying the final knot, Sango made to stand up, to get away from the man that was torturing her internally so. Miroku, however, grabbed her hand.

"Would you like me to help you put your arm inside your yukata?" He asked kindly. "It will get chilly tonight without sleeves on your arm." Sango shook her head and claimed her hand back.

"No, you've already done too much for me, Houshi-sama." Miroku heard Sango sniffle quietly as she turned away and his brow furrowed.

"Did I do something to upset you?"

"Y-yes… and no."

"I make you nervous, and for that I am sorry. I like you Sango, and I want you to be comfortable around me. I know some of my habits are hard to live with, but I wish you would call me Miroku. I mean, we are friends, and Houshi-sama is too formal. It would be like me calling you Youkai Slayer-san." The monk fell silent.

"You say you like me H— Mir-Miroku, but how do you like me? As a friend," Sango repeated the monk's earlier word and bad taste found its way into her mouth. But she made herself continue speaking. "As a fighting partner? Something… something more?" Miroku stood up and put a hand on Sango's uninjured shoulder He turned her to face him and grinned mischievously.

"That depends," he told her. "How would you like to be liked?"

Tears began to form at the corners of Sango's eyes.

"You shouldn't give a damn how I want you to feel about me!" She yelled suddenly. "Without me and my emotions in mind how do you like me?!" Miroku considered the crying girl that was nearly in his arms. He pulled her into his embrace and she stared up at him, not daring to believe.

"More… more than a friend, more than a fighting partner."

"Miroku," Sango's head connected with his chest and she cried.

"No need for tears Sango." He said, lifting her head up by placing his hand under her chin. "But I'll tell you something, though."

"Wh-what?" Sango's voice shook as Miroku wiped her tears away. He put his lips near her ear and whispered;

"I'll try to kiss you… if you'll let me."

Sango's hand was clenching a fistful of Miroku's robes. She squeezed this handful of fabric tightly and stared into Miroku's deep violet eyes. She licked her lips, which she could see he was watching intently, and replied;

"I've wanted you to kiss me for a long time." Miroku smiled.

"That's all I needed to hear." As he lowered his head, Miroku brought Sango's lips up to meet his, with the hand under her chin. Sango pressed back against Miroku's lips with such force, the monk stepped back slightly in surprise.

In doing so, Miroku managed to step on Hiraikotsu. The weapon tripped Miroku up and he fell, wrapping his arms protectively around Sango. When he opened his eyes, Miroku found Sango's honey-brown orbs looking back at him. The pair broke into laugher. Sango lifted herself off Miroku's chest and seated herself next to him. The monk leaned back and put his hands behind his head, sighing comfortably. He closed his eyes, but soon after doing so, felt Sango laying her head on his chest. Miroku sat up slowly, watching Sango as he did.

And suddenly, their lips had found each other's again. Only this time, Miroku had wrapped his arms around Sango's waist, and Sango, in turn, put her good arm around Miroku's neck. They were kissing each other deeper than before when…

"What the hell?!?"

"Inuyasha, _sit_!"

Miroku and Sango broke apart; Sango's face was bight red and Miroku's was a light shade of pink. Miroku managed to pull himself together first.

"What are you guys doing back today?" he asked as calmly as possible, trying to act as if he wasn't ticked off his moment with Sango was ruined.

"Mr. Grumpy here didn't want me to stay because if I had, my friends and I were gonna go see a movie with Hojo." Inuyasha mumbled something like 'I hate that limp noodle' in his 'sit' crater.

"Anyway, what happened here?" Kagome asked with a wide smile. "We were walking down from the well and Inuyasha noticed the screen door to our hut was open. He saw you guys together and was like 'Hey isn't that Miroku and Sango? Why are they standing so close together?' I told him to keep quiet and stay put, but then, I guess you guys fell because we couldn't see you anymore, and Inuyasha went tearing down the hill. I chased after him telling him again to stop because I had a feeling what was going on. And well… now we're here."

Miroku and Sango laughed and smiled at Kagome.

"It's a long story, what happened here, Kagome. But I promise to tell you all about it tonight." Sango said. Kagome smiled as Miroku took Sango's hand and led her out of the hut. Kagome glanced out of the doorway and saw them leaning against each other, watching the sunset.

* * *

AN: This is a story I found while going through some of my old folders. I cleaned it up a bit and I think it turned out to be a pretty cute one-shot. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did when I discovered it.

Disclaimers: I don't own Inuyasha or Blink-182's song 'Down'.


	2. Speculations Sabotaged the Snake

AN: Hello again my friends, I'm here to bring you another Miroku/Sango fanfiction. This one is set in present time, eight years in the future. It's a bit more serious than some of the other ones I've written; there's much more dialogue between Miroku and Sango than there is fluff. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or the song 'Still Frame' by Trapt.

**Speculations Sabotaged the Snake**

_A small reflection on when we were younger, we had it all figured out, cause we had everything covered. Now we're old, it's getting harder to see what this future will hold for us. What the f-ck are we going to be? _

-Trapt, 'Still Frame'

Miroku entered the dim, slightly smoky restaurant and made a beeline for the bar. His friend and past guardian, Mushin, hailed him and slid him a bottle of warm sake.

"We got a pretty one tonight." Mushin said, nodding to a table near the bar. Miroku grunted and took a drink of the sake. "That's all? You didn't even look at her." Miroku sighed.

"I'm reminiscing, Mushin. About a girl I had and lost because I was stupid."

"Oh-ho, I see now. But still, give her a look. Prettiest one I've seen in awhile."

Miroku turned on his barstool to look at a young woman with long, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was frowning at a laptop screen and pushing thin, rimless glasses back up her nose. Next to her sat a half eaten salad and a mug of cold coffee. Her typing stopped as she turned around to look at Miroku. She had felt his eyes on her.

Miroku smiled and toasted her, peering mischievously through his bangs at her. Her eyes widened and she blushed. She quickly turned back around and resumed typing.

"She's a cute one." Miroku agreed, turning back to Mushin who had begun cleaning glasses. "Shy, but cute."

"She's been comin' here a lot lately. Says it's quieter than the place her co-workers always drag her. Plus she can't get enough of the coffee." Mushin raised her eyebrows at Miroku.

"Any other time you know I would, Mushin. But something else is bothering me right now. Perhaps you'll remember the first time I fell in love?"

"How could I forget? You were probably about sixteen or seventeen and you came home one day with a blank, happy expression on your face. Three days later you brought a shy young lady to the house. You went out with her for quite awhile. And if I remember correctly, she dumped you." Miroku nodded ashamed. "What was her name again?"

"Sango," Miroku said dully. He took a gulp of sake and repeated. "Sango…"

If Miroku had been a little more observant, he would have noticed that the woman with the laptop had stopped typing once more. She was listening to Miroku now. _Did he just say my name?_ She wondered.

"Yes, that was it" Mushin nodded. "But as I remember, she could never get used to your 'wandering hand'." Miroku smiled sheepishly.

"Actually what did it was she found another girl on me. Totally not my fault—"

"Oh-ho, of course not!" Mushin laughed his peculiar laugh, making Sango turn around once more at the familiar sound. She was listening to the two men intently now. Miroku looked a bit miffed at being interrupted, but continued anyway.

"In any case," Miroku said, clearing his throat impatiently as he waited for Mushin to stop laughing. "Sango had come to know me too well and blamed me for the er… incident. In reality, this girl had followed me around for quite some time and obviously found the perfect time to throw herself on me: right as Sango turned the corner." He finished bitterly.

Sango had finally recognized Miroku and Mushin. She stood up abruptly, angered at Miroku's words. She snapped her laptop shut and glared in Miroku's direction.

"I don't believe you!" she said in an accusatory tone.

"Excuse me?" Miroku asked politely, turning to look at Sango once more.

"It just so happens that _I'm _Sango." She replied, crossing her arms after removing her glasses. Miroku's eyes widened.

"That you are, I recognize you now." He grunted, turning back around.

"As it happens, I don't believe him either, Sango-chan." Mushin said, looking at the angered girl with kindness, still cleaning glasses behind the bar. Sango couldn't help lifting the corners of her lips in an almost-smile as Mushin said her name. She had no problems with Mushin.

Miroku glared up at his past guardian.

"Traitor," He mumbled so only Mushin could hear. Then he raised his voice. "I don't see how it matters anyway. It was so long ago, we were children." Instead of calming Sango, that merely made her more upset.

"Apparently it _does _matter to you or else you wouldn't be talking about it now." She retorted. "Besides, we're not that much older now. It's only been eight years." Miroku chuckled wryly at that.

"_Only _eight years? Do you realize how much we changed in just _one_ year during high school? We could be completely different people in the eight it's been."

"You don't seem much different to me, Miroku-san." Sango replied in a surprisingly gentle voice.

Miroku turned back around at the sound of his name. He looked Sango over, noticing how she had uncrossed her arms and looked exhausted, her shoulders sagging. He realized that she didn't want to fight with him anymore. That was how she'd always looked after their fights in high school. Of course, none of their childhood fights had ever been as callous as this one was turning out to be.

"I-I'm sorry," Sango said as Miroku stared at her. "I need some time to think." And then she fled the restaurant. Miroku was up and after her in flash. There was no way he was going to watch her run out of his life for a second time.

Sango was still running even after she had left Miroku's presence. Her feet pounded down the sidewalk that was damp with rain, trying to come up with something, anything, to distract herself with. Her thoughts immediately went to Kohaku, now nineteen years old, struggling to find a college he wanted to go to. Sango felt moisture on her cheeks but refused to believe it could be anything other than the rain, which was beginning to pick up.

Miroku knew that, even though Sango was running away from him, he would be able to catch up with her eventually. All the times she'd run away from him in anger or hurt like this, he'd managed to catch her. Whether it was because she let him or because he was a faster runner than her he could never figure out. Even so, Miroku didn't slow down as he followed the young woman through the rainy city. He had no clue where she was going, but he didn't care much either. All Miroku was concerned with was catching the woman that, he realized now, he was still in love with.

Clutching a stitch in her side, Sango slowed down to a sluggish walk. She was panting, and many people were staring at her because of her inexplicable flight down many, many streets. Sango found herself outside a bookstore she used to buy reference books from when she was in college. With a pang, she remembered she had come there with Miroku once, searching for a required reading book in her junior year.

Satisfied, Miroku saw that Sango had stopped running, even stopped completely in front of a bookstore he vaguely recognized. When he was close enough, he grabbed her hand to stop her from running again. She looked up to him in shock, and he thought he saw tears mingling with the raindrops on her face.

"You followed me." She gasped in disbelief.

"I always do." He replied gently.

"I wish you wouldn't." She cried, tugging her arm away from him. "It would be so much easier to forget you if you didn't."

"Am I right in thinking that you haven't been able to get me out of your head?" Sango didn't reply. She had started walking again, but not in an attempt to get away from Miroku. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, if that's true. To be quite honest with you, I think I've still been in love with you for the past eight years."

Sango's sob wrenched at Miroku's heart, and he realized too late he had said the wrong thing.

"I was finally getting on with my life!" She yelled, turning to face Miroku accusingly. She was making people stare again, but neither of them cared in the least. "In the past three years I'd managed to forget about you. But here you are, making me feel like a foolish teenager again, infatuated with the boy who broke her heart." She sobbed.

"Sango, believe me. I never meant to hurt you. In fact, if I thought it would make you happy, I would leave now and never speak to you again. But I know that wouldn't solve anything. It would just leave us both gasping for air as we drowned in our own desperation. Since I've been doing that for the past eight years, I'm sure I few more wouldn't bother me. But I don't want that for you."

"You idiot." Sango said, tears pouring down her face visibly now. "You don't think it tortured me too? You think that every word I said as I broke up with you didn't kill me inside too? You stupid, stupid man."

"Yes, I do believe I was quite stupid. But that was because the only time I didn't come after you was the time you wanted me to the most, am I right?" Sango nodded mutely.

"Permit me, if you will, to explain what happened on that day so many years ago." Another nod. Miroku took hold of Sango's hand again and steered her into a nearby coffee shop. They sat down at a booth and Miroku ordered them both hot cocoa, remembering Sango's weakness for chocolate.

"Now then," Miroku said, folding his hands on top of the table thoughtfully. Sango had a wild urge to reach out and touch his hands, but she controlled herself. "Don't take anything I say offensively, because I don't know the whole story. I am speaking from what I know and what I've guessed over the time I've had to dwell. Can you do that, for old time's sake?"

"Yes," Sango said shakily.

"I'll start from the beginning then." Miroku said, leaning back in his seat. "But I don't want to be interrupted, so we shall wait for our drinks." As if on cue, the waitress returned with their mugs of hot cocoa. She appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties, and she was treating Miroku with an unconditional amount of friendliness and batting her eyes at him. This made Sango feel a surge of jealousy, but Miroku didn't seem to have noticed anything from either of the women. Of course, that was just a act, because Sango knew perfectly well that a man like Miroku would know when a woman was trying to flirt with him. And she also knew he was very sensitive to her emotions, so he'd undoubtedly noticed her jealousy as well.

"Thank you," he replied carelessly, glancing up at the waitress and taking the mugs. _It's not his fault. _Sango told herself as the waitress appeared to be slightly dazzled. _It's not his fault he's so… appealing. It's not his fault his eyes are so distracting, just like it isn't his fault his hair looks so soft… _Sango's thoughts were running amuck in her head as she remembered all the things about Miroku that had driven her crazy.

Miroku handed a mug over to Sango, oblivious to her sudden thoughts. Sango wrapped her hands around the mug, the warmth calming her down considerably.

"Now where were we…?" Miroku said unnecessarily.

"The day I broke up with you…" Sango offered helpfully, though it sounded like she was asking a question. She was having a bit of trouble believing that Miroku was planning on telling her the _truth _of what happened.

"Ah yes… where to begin?" Miroku took a sip of his cocoa and Sango did too, almost having forgotten it was there. When the sweet taste hit her tongue, Sango smiled pleasantly despite herself. Miroku seemed not to notice how good the drink was, but then he had never been a chocoholic like her.

"Well, first of all, that girl was the latest ex-girlfriend I'd had since getting together with you. She never really got over the fact that I didn't love her completely the way she loved me. I regret it… but we can't be forced to love someone we don't. Anyway, Kohki, that was her name, had been pretty much stalking me since we broke up. It was subtle stalking, which was why you never noticed. She seemed to only trail me when I was alone.

"I never really thought much about her following me around because it never presented a problem until I started dating you. I told her that I was with someone new and that, while her following me around was flattering and sort of cute, it was time for her to stop. Obviously she didn't listen. But I thought as long as you didn't notice it would be ok. But then, that day you saw her kissing me, I got impatient with her.

"The day had been frustrating enough already and I didn't need Kohki adding to it. I walked along the back wall of the school since my car was parked behind the building and she pursued me. When I heard her kick a rock behind me I grew unexplainably angry. I told her, none too nicely, that I was sick of her tailing me everywhere I went. Well, she ignored me and just laughed. She didn't seem to realize that I was serious, and mad.

"When I'd stopped to confront her she'd subtly moved closer to me until she was standing right next to me, very close by. She kept giggling at me and told me I was being silly or something like that. I wasn't listening so I don't remember the details. Anyway, soon enough she had pushed me up against the wall and was kissing me." Miroku finished with an apologetic look in Sango's direction.

"I'm sorry, Miroku." Sango said quietly. "I jumped to conclusions when I saw you with her. I should have known it wasn't your fault. To be quite honest," She paused, wondering if she should tell him. "I… I wasn't even planning on going in that direction until… until Inuyasha told me he'd seen you with another girl."

Miroku looked thoughtful as he took another sip of his drink and then pushed the rest to Sango. He had noticed, while he was talking, that she'd finished her own.

"Yes… Inuyasha never liked me much. I think it was because I was flirtatious with the girl he had a crush on. Well, one of the girls he liked anyway. He never could make up his mind, but I was smart enough to stay out of Kikyo's way. Kagome was just interesting to tease because of how she would react to it."

The pair sat in silence for a long time, each picking over their respective thoughts. Finally Sango took a drink of the cocoa that Miroku had given her. It seemed to un-stick her throat enough for her to talk.

"He… lied." She said simply. "Inuyasha, I mean. He told me you were _with _another girl, not that she was following you."

"No… he didn't lie, he exaggerated. I don't think Inuyasha ever meant things to go as far as they did. He didn't know who Kohki was or what she was planning to do when he saw her following me. I'll bet that he thought all you would do to me is give me a well-earned slap." Miroku shrugged. Sango was amazed at how Miroku defended Inuyasha even though the two boys had never really been close friends.

"I'm sorry." Sango repeated, and again she felt the urge to touch Miroku, to be near him and act like the past eight years had never happened. But she knew she didn't deserve him. She didn't deserve him anymore than she had in high school, in fact, she probably deserved him less now. She felt horrible for all the things she'd said and done. But most of all, she hated herself for not listening to Miroku when she first had the chance. Sango knew from experience if Miroku was going to kiss a girl and a wall happened to be nearby, the girl would be against the wall, not Miroku himself.

Miroku stood up slowly, and Sango thought he was about to leave. To her great surprise he didn't. He merely walked over to her side of the table and sat down next to her. _Well, _Sango thought, _I'm getting my wish. _

"No Sango-chan, I'm sorry. I should have explained before now. It would have caused us a lot less pain if I had." Sango cut him off.

"How could you have explained before now? I never let you! It was not your fault in the slightest." Miroku grinned.

"Why don't we both take equal blame?" He asked, remembering all the times he had gotten into a conversation like this with Sango. Both of them were too selfless to let the other take all the blame, and generally ended up spending fifteen minutes exchanging '_no it was my fault_'s. Sango nodded.

"I guess that sounds ok to me." She wanted to do more than just nod. Sango wanted to hug Miroku like she would have before. While she knew he would never resist if she tried to hug him, she wasn't sure what he would think about it afterwards. That was what bothered her most of all about Miroku. He seemed to always know what she was thinking, but almost never gave her a clue as to what _he _was thinking.

Sango leaned forward over the table, almost putting her head down on it in frustration. Miroku recognized her posture from when they were younger. He half expected her to put her head down on the table, like she had done on the desks at school. Miroku knew that Sango was frustrated, confused, or both. And he knew that this time it wasn't a test or quiz that was doing it.

"Am I upsetting you?" He asked, concern coloring his voice.

"I'm upsetting myself more than you are." She replied, not sitting up.

"Do you want me to go?"

"No!" Sango said quicker than she meant to. "I… I mean no, I like it when… you're here." Sango confessed hesitantly. Miroku's arm twitched, his instinct being to put an arm around Sango's troubled shoulders. Sango felt the movement beside her and half-hoped Miroku would take her in his arms and kiss her senseless. The way only he knew how.

"Miroku?" Sango asked quietly.

"Hmm?" He replied, not showing his distress at all in his tone or his body language.

"Are _you _upset? I mean… with me?"

"Honestly? I'm a little frustrated with myself, but your actions have been pretty predictable up to this point."

"Why are you frustrated with yourself?" Sango asked, trying to make conversation, but wincing at the personal quality of her question.

"I'm trying to figure out how I can make you feel better without offending you or making you uncomfortable. So far I can't think of anything." He replied sincerely.

"Well you could…" Sango began, but then thought better of what she was going to say.

"I could what?" He asked, as she knew he would.

"You could… put your arm around me."

"I think I will." Miroku said, smiling at the suggestion. The next thing Sango knew, Miroku's strong arm was pulling her away from the table and towards his body. _Now, as long as she'll let me kiss her by the time all this is over, I'll be content. _Miroku thought to himself. Miroku left a secure amount of space in between her body and his, not wanting to scare her off. But Sango surprised Miroku by closing the space between them, their bodies now touching.

"That was unexpected." He breathed quietly.

"You should have learned to expect the unexpected with me." She murmured, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against his shoulder. Miroku chuckled.

"I probably should have, and perhaps I did while we were together. But I had no way to know where we were picking up after so many years." Sango gave a small smile.

"How about that awkward stage where we both liked each other but were still pretending to be just friends, while sneaking not-so-friend-like touches and looks behind our friends' backs?" Miroku's rich laugh filled Sango's ears once more.

"Yes, now that was fun. You liked that part of our relationship?"

"It was amusing to watch you come up with excuses _for_ being alone with me and to _get_ me alone with you. I mean really Miroku; do you think anyone bought them?"

"No, but that's the fun of it. Our friends had already started to realize something was going on between us. That gave me leeway to do more things in the presence of other people." Miroku squeezed Sango's shoulders gently, and Sango found herself blushing deeply. He was the only one who could get her to blush like that. Sango lapsed into an embarrassed silence, and Miroku was more than happy to wait for her to come out of it before picking up their conversation. Finally, she asked;

"Miroku?"

"Hmm?"

"I think I'm starting to understand why so many girls were never able to forget about you." Sango admitted quietly. Miroku laughed again.

"Oh yes, I was such a girl-magnet in high school." He rolled his eyes, but the look Sango was giving him told him he wasn't far off.

"You never noticed…" She whispered. "There were so many girls that had crushes on you. So many… that's why I never felt like you would want to be with me. It was like you were in an ice cream store with tons of elaborate flavors and you picked me, the simple strawberry flavored one."

"I've always been partial to simplicity in my dessert." Miroku said with a wink. "But trust me Sango; in keeping to your analogy, you were the most complex flavor there." Sango shook her head.

"I don't believe you."

"Alright then," Miroku said, prepared for her objection. "You were simple strawberry, but inside, underneath the plain pink of the strawberry, you had a variety of nuts and candies waiting for me to discover. Though I really wish you would believe that you're beautiful on the inside and outside alike. It makes it very frustrating to compliment you when every time I do you deny whatever it was I said."

Sango's blush met Miroku's eyes as he glanced down at her. The young woman's mouth opened in an attempt to reject she was beautiful in anyway, when she realized that Miroku was right.

"I'm sorry," she repeated for what felt like the tenth time that evening. "I've never been big on… self-esteem." Miroku's eyes twinkled as he heard that. "What!" Sango demanded more than asked. She was getting her spunkiness back now.

"Nothing, it's just that 'Sango' and the word 'insecurity' hardly belong in the same sentence." He told her, a smile forming on his face once again. Sango frowned slightly. _It's true,_ she thought. _I'm not insecure in most circumstances. I just get so nervous when he's around… I prattle on and say the first thing that comes to mind. I guess that's because I still don't feel good enough to be around him, to be his friend. But is that what we are now? Are we still friends? _

Sango's suddenly stiff posture was not lost on Miroku. He had no idea what had caused her unexpected change of being. His forehead wrinkled slightly in confusion.

"Sango, are you ok?" he asked her quietly.

"I just… I'm just wondering what we really are to each other now. I mean, we can't still be friends after eight years of not seeing or hearing from each other. C-can we?" Sango's last sentence held a nervous, hopeful tone.

"Only if you still want to be." Miroku said slowly. _I don't like where this conversation is going, if she keeps this up I won't have a chance to kiss her. I know that if she'd let me she'd feel worlds better, but at this point I know she won't. _

"Miroku," Sango's voice sounded above his thoughts impatiently.

"Yes, Sango-chan?" He replied sweetly, thinking that she had been trying to get his attention for awhile and he'd not heard her. But that was hardly the case. Sango sighed, debating on asking him the question that had popped into her head at the look on his face. She gave in.

"Miroku why don't you just _kiss_ me already? I know you want to very badly." The young woman was slightly surprised to hear Miroku's chuckle again.

"So, what, does that mean I'm still allowed to?" He ventured hopefully, sounding like an anxious teenager.

"Allowance never stopped you before now." She replied, her eyes narrowed suspiciously at his cautiousness. The Miroku she knew would have jumped at the opportunity to kiss her, especially if she had mentioned it first. She wondered if something less innocent than kissing her had found its way into Miroku's thoughts.

"I'm being extra careful around you at the moment." He teased. "I don't know what I might say or do that could set you off again." Sango bit her lip apologetically.

"I shouldn't have reacted that way when you said you still loved me." She said in a rush. "But… is it true?" She added tentatively.

"Undoubtedly," Miroku's reply was so quiet, Sango wasn't even sure she'd really heard it. Her hands found their way to Miroku's face, and she was desperately turning his gaze to her's.

"Don't start playing mind games with me, Miroku." She said tersely. "What—did—you—just—say?" She asked, pronouncing every word with a certain care and forcefulness that made Miroku unable to hedge or lie to her. He stared into her deep brown eyes, eyes that were begging him for an answer. And then he realized… she was still in love with him too. He should have known it from the moment he set eyes on her, but he was too wound up in the past to notice.

Miroku surprised himself by having to swallow unobtrusively before replying to Sango's forceful question. He allowed himself a fleeting revel in having her hands on his face, before speaking.

"I said that I absolutely could be, and am, still in love with you." Miroku saw that Sango's eyes had become clouded again, but for different reasons than before. She let out a great sigh and a smile graced her lips before she let a single tear fall from her eyes. Her hands fell into her lap, but she did not shift away from the young man beside her.

Miroku was quick to catch Sango's tear with his thumb, brushing it away like it was the most natural thing to do. And for him, it was. But instead of pulling his hand away from her face, Miroku allowed himself to caress her cheek softly, enjoying the smoothness of her skin. He sighed contentedly, letting his hand drop after a few moments, lest Sango become angry with him.

"I'd forgotten…" He said more to himself than to the woman at his side.

"Forgotten what?" She asked, slightly breathless, wanting Miroku to touch her again.

"Forgotten how soft a woman's skin could be." He mused.

"You mean to say, you haven't… I mean… been with _anyone_ since...?" Sango's question trailed off as she stared at Miroku, forgetting herself in his peculiarly violet eyes. Miroku smiled.

"No, I haven't been with anyone since we broke up. Not seriously anyway. Not to the point that I felt I could stroke her cheek without appearing forward." He replied calmly. Before Miroku could discern what was happening, Sango's arms were around his neck, her face buried in his shoulder.

Well this display obviously had Miroku chuckling softly to himself.

"I told you Sango-chan, I've been in love with _you_ for the past eight years. Why would I reject my own feelings by getting close to another woman?"

Sango didn't reply. She was caught up in the emotions she was feeling, and the familiar sensations being so close to Miroku had once again aroused in her. She loved the way his chest rose and fell with his breathing, touching her own briefly every time it did. She noticed how Miroku had finally given in and wrapped his own arms around her waist, pulling her gently back into her seat after some time. Sango was about to protest, not wanting to leave her proximity to him, when Miroku situated their bodies so that Sango's back was leaning against his chest.

She rested her head on Miroku's chest as she wondered what was coming next. She was afraid that Miroku might try something indecent while they were in the café, but then grasped that she knew him better than that. Miroku would never try something, visibly, indecent while they were here. That was something he'd gotten over long ago, she realized. _Childish, _she thought, _it was childish of me to think he might still do something like that. _

"I was wrong," Sango murmured, not looking up at Miroku. Sango could almost imagine perfectly the puzzled look that had crossed over Miroku's face as she spoke. She remembered it from school and from studying with him. If there was a question Miroku didn't understand, his forehead would wrinkle slightly and he would stare down at whatever was confusing him. It was the stare that Sango remembered the best. It was as if he could figure anything out if he stared at it long enough. And a lot of times he _did _discover the answer to a particular question. But she had always been his unsolved question.

"Wrong about what, Sango-chan?" Miroku asked, and she could hear the confusion in his voice.

"You _have _changed since we last saw each other. Back at the restaurant I said I didn't think you had changed any." Sango could almost hear Miroku smile.

"How have I changed, Sango?" Sango couldn't help smiling herself; Miroku's moods had always been contagious to her. She turned around in her seat to face the young man and looked him up and down quickly.

"Well… there's physically of course."

"Of course," The smirk that played across Miroku's face was as devastating, if not more so, than Sango remembered.

"You've definitely gotten taller, and your hair is longer than it used to be. I remember in high school your nose used to be cutely too big for your face, but now it's gracefully the right size and shape. You used to be a bit gangly because your arms were so long and thin, but now they've gotten thicker and your legs have caught up with them. Your chest and shoulders have gotten wider. And," One of Sango's hands found Miroku's and she placed them palm to palm as if to compare their sizes. "You're hands seem to have gotten bigger too. That's just for starters." She finished with a small laugh.

"I never knew you paid so much attention." Miroku said sounding amused.

"Well… yeah." Sango muttered sheepishly. "You've also gotten more mature. The thing I notice the most in your behavior is the lack of—" Miroku cut her off.

"The lack of my lewd ways, yes… I was wondering when you would bring that up." Sango blushed.

"I'm sorry, I'd just gotten so used to it that I'd come to expect it from you."

"There's nothing to apologize for." Miroku assured her. "I would expect it from me too, if I were you that is." The young man sighed, looking down at the beautiful girl in his arms. "There was no thrill in it anymore." He explained.

"What do you mean?"

"Groping other women when my heart was clearly set on you didn't do much to make me feel better. So, I stopped. You could say I broke a bad habit I guess." Miroku found Sango's arms around his neck again as he fell silent.

"Thank you." She said quietly. "I mean, not thank you for giving up on the perversion; that never really bothered me as much as I made it seem. I mean thank you for saying these things." Miroku shrugged.

"Just telling the truth." He replied, and his eyes found Sango's.

And Sango couldn't look away. It was always an unfair advantage, she thought, that his eyes could be so intense and that she could never bring herself to look away. Half the time she couldn't even think straight when he did this to her. Like now, for instance. Sango's breath caught in her chest. She couldn't remember what they had been talking about or where they were. Miroku's quiet laughter brought her halfway back to Earth.

"Don't forget to breath, Sango-chan. I didn't expect to have such a powerful effect on you since it's been so many years." Sango managed to blink and replied;

"It's… it's worse than it was. I was used to it, back… then." She sounded absentminded. "Or I guess… as used as you get to something… something like this." She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths.

Miroku smiled as he watched Sango trying to collect herself again. He knew that she thought it was unfair that he could make her crazy like this and she never had that effect on him. In truth, Miroku was just better at containing himself. Sango had no idea the feelings and thoughts being around her put in him.

Sango's eyes snapped open when she felt Miroku's breath on her cheek. She stared at him as he rested his forehead against her's. Sango waited, almost impatiently, for Miroku to close the gap between their lips. It had always been like this. _Why, _she wondered, _don't _I _ever close the space? I always wait for him. Is it because of the way he affects me, or is it just because I'm too timid to do it myself? _

"Sango?" Miroku's voice sounded far off, but it was probably the only voice she would have been able to listen to at this point.

"Yes?" She replied, their lips touching for the briefest second as she answered.

"I love you." He told her with a gleam in his eyes. And then he was kissing her gently, trying to keep his emotions in check so this wouldn't become too intimate for the coffee house. Miroku pulled back after several seconds, but it appeared that even that simple gesture had left Sango breathless.

"You're infuriating." She told him, a light blush staining her cheeks. He smiled.

"I know." Then he lowered his voice so only she could hear him. "I didn't want things to go too far here. Like I said, I never know what I might do to set you off." Sango laughed weakly.

"You had something else planned?" she asked accusingly. All that answered her was Miroku's smile, and his hand on her arm, pulling her back to her feet.

"Perhaps," he replied, leading her away from the booth and up to the cash register. He paid for their drinks as Sango tried to steady herself.

"Sango?" Miroku asked again as the left the coffee shop. "Do you remember my story about the snake and the mouse?" Sango laughed.

"What are you talking about?"

"I suppose that means I'll have to tell you." Miroku said, also laughing. "You do know the saying 'curiosity killed the cat'?"

"Of course."

"Well, my mother had another saying a bit like that one. She always told me that 'speculations sabotaged the snake.' She had a story to go along with it too. She told me that one day, a very tiny mouse stopped in the forest to rest. It had not noticed that it was resting right next to a snake hole. Well, the snake smelled the mouse and came up to see what was going on. It saw the little mouse sitting quite close to its hole. The snake thought 'Oh, this mouse is so small and weak that it will make a quick dinner for me.' He speculated, guessed, that because of the mouse's size, he would be able to catch it. So the snake took his time coming out of his hole and approaching the mouse.

"But what the snake didn't know was that the mouse _had_ noticed him and was getting ready to run. The mouse was smart in his escape. He waited until the snake was almost upon him, and darted away through the leaves. The snake never saw what happened. He was sabotaged because he speculated that the mouse would never out smart him." Sango was laughing quietly as Miroku finished his story.

"Is that supposed to be some kind of moral to the fight we had?"

"Something like that." Miroku replied, smiling. Sango sighed and leaned her head against Miroku's shoulder as they walked.

"I'd already figured out that I was wrong to… _speculate _about what had happened that day." Sango told Miroku, resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at him.

"I knew you had, but I wanted to tell you that story anyway. As much for my benefit as it was for your's too."

"What are you talking about?" Sango asked again, and Miroku didn't miss the playful eye roll she gave him.

"I assumed that you were still mad at me, that you would never forgive me. Obviously I was wrong." He said, gesturing to the fact that his arm was around Sango's shoulders, her body pressed against his.

"Yes," Sango replied, stopping Miroku so she could place a quick kiss on his lips, "You were wrong." Miroku chuckled at the young woman he could now call his once again.

The newly reunited couple walked together across the damp streets of Tokyo. Sango led the way to her apartment complex, not even letting go of Miroku's hand as they climbed the steps to her third floor room. She stopped outside room number three-twenty-seven and turned to face Miroku.

"This is my room." She told him unnecessarily. "I would invite you in, but it's late and Kohaku might be asleep."

"I understand." He replied, taking her hands in his once more. "We'll see each other tomorrow." He promised with a wink. "But for now, will a good night kiss suffice?"

"It depends on the kiss." Sango answered teasingly.

Miroku suddenly pulled Sango closer to him, his lips claiming her's again. This time he kissed her with everything he had. Sango surprised him, once again, by wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him even closer than they had been before. She responded with as much enthusiasm as Miroku had. It was as if the pair was trying to make up for lost time in a single kiss.

But soon the necessity for oxygen made the young lovers pull away from each other.

"How was that?" Miroku asked, his voice sounding a little husky.

"Perfect." Was the breathless reply that met Miroku's ears. "Good night, Miroku." Sango added quietly, shyly. Miroku released Sango from his grip and allowed her to move away from him. He watched her as she dug in a pocket of her laptop case, trying to find her room key. She was clearly flustered by their previous activity and was having trouble finding the damned thing. Miroku chuckled.

"Good night, Sango-chan." He replied, and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. Then he turned and started walking down the hallway to the stairs, his hands in his pockets. Sango watched him until he was out of sight and then resumed her search for her key. Imagine her surprise when she looked up and the door was open already. Kohaku grinned at his older sister from inside the doorway, his eyes childishly bright, even in the darkness of the hallway.

"I always knew you two would end up together again."

"Koh-Kohaku! What… how… how much did you see?" Sango asked, finally deciding on a question. Kohaku laughed.

"I heard you guys talking and saw him kiss your cheek before he left." Sango blushed, but allowed her brother to steer her into their apartment. "Why? Did something happen that you didn't want me to see?" Sango didn't answer, but Kohaku could tell by the color in her cheeks something had happened before he opened the door.

_Well, _Sango thought as she got ready for bed, _at least life will never get boring with Miroku around again. _

That night was the first night in three years Sango let herself dream about Miroku again. And if Kohaku was to believed, it was the best sleep she had gotten in several years as well. It looked as if fate had brought her a blessing by bringing Miroku back into her life. And Sango refused to believe it was anything other than fate.


	3. Night at the Department Store

AN: I like this story pretty well, I think the idea is cute. My inspiration was something my friend said while we were at the mall, about how it would be possible to spend the night in a store like Macy's or JC Penny's. Enjoy! (And yes, the title is corny, laugh if you will)

Disclaimer: Once upon a time Inuyasha did not belong to me. It still doesn't. The end! :D

**Night at the Department Store**

_"Won't you take me by the hand, take me somewhere new? I don't know who you are but I, I'm with you." _Avril Lavigne, 'With You'

Miroku was so incredibly _bored_. He hadn't talked to anyone in over two hours. The last person he had seen was an old woman who screeched at him about how the store didn't have the matching sheets to her bed set. Screw it all, Miroku didn't even know what she was talking about.

"I should have known covering for Yuki was a bad idea." he groaned for the third time that night. Normally he worked in the men's clothing department of the store, not the bedding department. Miroku could handle men's clothing. He was familiar with that. What he couldn't handle was testy older women asking him questions about throw pillows, comforters, quilts, and bed skirts. What the _hell _was a bed skirt anyway? Did these women really think a twenty year old boy would know the answers to their questions?

"How are you holding up?" a familiar voice asked.

Miroku looked up. He had been resting his head on the checkout counter in frustration and boredom. "Yuki," he said, glaring at her, "You bitch, I thought you were sick."

Yuki giggled. "No, my boyfriend came into town this morning and I didn't want to waste anytime I could have with him."

"Where is the lucky guy?" Miroku asked irritably.

"Bathroom," she replied. "Oh come on Miroku, stop looking at me like that!" He had been glaring daggers at his coworker. "If you had a girlfriend I'd cover for you so you could see her."

"Don't remind me of what I don't have." he all but hissed. Why on earth had he agreed to work for Yuki? If he had known she was going to come in and mock him he wouldn't have done her the favor.

"Yuki," A tall boy with bleach blonde hair came up behind the girl and put his hand on her shoulder.

Yuki smiled at him and put her hand on top of his. "This is Takeshi," she said to Miroku. "Takeshi this is my ex-boyfriend, Miroku."

"Nice to meet you," Takeshi said quietly, shyly. The next look he gave Yuki was pleading her to let them leave. He clearly didn't approve of the way Yuki was dangling him, and herself, over Miroku's head.

"Yeah, you too," Miroku replied with a nod. It was the most polite thing he could think to say.

"We should go, what would happen if your boss showed up?" Takeshi mumbled to Yuki.

"Oh alright," Yuki moaned like a little kid being pulled away from the toy store.

Miroku gritted his teeth, reminding himself that there were _some _benefits to Yuki dumping him. He didn't have to put up with her obnoxious, spoiled brat attitude anymore. A doormat like Takeshi was just the kind of guy Yuki liked. He would give her everything she wanted and dote on her as if she made the world go around. Miroku wasn't like that. He wasn't overly complimentary and he felt that gifts should only be given on special occasions. And no, their one week anniversary was _not _a special occasion. Perhaps Yuki had sensed that Miroku wasn't her type and decided to dump him. It didn't make it hurt any less, especially because Yuki was the first girl Miroku had _truly _liked in a long time. Not to mention she was shoving the fact that she had a new boyfriend in his face.

Sighing, Miroku checked his watch. It was almost nine o'clock. On Sundays the store closed at nine, so he would be free of his torture soon. Closing the bedding department couldn't be very difficult. Walk around and pick up pillows the customers left on the floor, relocate anything that had been put in the wrong place; it wouldn't take more than ten minutes.

"The store will be closing in five minutes," the intercom announced, "Please gather your purchases and head to the nearest checkout station. Thank you."

"Thank you indeed," Miroku muttered to himself. "The sooner you leave, the sooner I get to go home." It wasn't as if he had anything to _do _once he got home, he was just tired of being in this place that reminded him so strongly of Yuki. Note to self: _never_ date someone you work with. At least he wouldn't have to see her if they happened to be working the same day; the men's section was on the second floor and on the opposite side of the store.

He looked around and, after determining that no costumers would come to him to check out, began to start picking up his area. The checkout counter was right in the middle of the department, so Miroku decided to check the right side first. This section had all the bed-in-a-bag collections, generic sheets, pillow cases, and comforters, as well as the decorative pillows. Miroku figured this area would be the most disordered. He spent a good ten minutes reorganizing the sheets. Someone who had been here was definitely color blind because he kept finding light blue sheets in the racks that were supposed to have white. All in all, however, Miroku couldn't complain. It wasn't hard work; just time consuming because he had to check every aisle.

The other section of the department had model beds displaying the more expensive and popular bed sets. It also had all the pieces to buy these sets. Miroku couldn't fathom why anyone would pay fifty dollars for a comforter, let alone the two-hundred it would take to buy the whole set. As he had expected, this area was much tidier because not as many people came through it and there wasn't as much to mess up.

Miroku was uninterestedly going through the motions of cleaning up these aisles. He wasn't even paying that much attention, assuming this side would be neat enough to suit his boss, especially considering that Miroku wasn't even trained to run this section anyway. Imagine his surprise when he came across a girl about his age sleeping on one of the model beds.

She was dressed in blue jeans and a white T-shirt, eliminating the possibility that she might be a new worker. Even newbies weren't stupid enough to show up to work in jeans; everyone knew to wear black dress pants. Her long, dark brown hair was hanging loose and it fanned across the pillow she was laying on. Her slightly pale skin looked smooth and soft and Miroku wanted to reach out a touch it despite himself. The girl looked so vulnerable and precious while sleeping. Not only that but his breakup was still fresh, so it had been a long time since Miroku had looked at another girl with interest. He was _really _looking at this girl now, possibilities floating in his mind.

She had a simple beauty about her that Miroku admired. Her face was naturally pretty, and when Miroku moved closer he noticed that she wasn't wearing any makeup. This was a refreshing difference from Yuki; compared to this sleeping girl Yuki seemed so fake. Miroku was so entranced by watching her sleep that he barely even noticed when he found himself sitting next to her on the bed. He had no intentions of doing anything lewd to her; he just wanted to look at her. He wondered what had made her so tired; tired enough to fall asleep on a fake bed that wasn't even big enough for her.

Suddenly the florescent lights in the store started to go out. Miroku checked his watch and found it was nine forty-five. Everyone was finished cleaning up their departments and heading home. Miroku wondered why a manager hadn't come down to check his station and make sure everything was perfect. What surprised him more was his lack of care for the fact that he was going to be locked in the store overnight with a sleeping girl who would probably accuse him of trying to rape her when she woke up.

Ever since his breakup, he had been in a peculiar mood, which might explain his lack of concern. He couldn't understand why he didn't just wake the girl up and tell her to go home so he could leave himself. Part of Miroku just wanted to be with this girl all night, even if she didn't wake up until the morning, even if he never spoke to her. He was feeling something good for the first time in a long time and he didn't want to give it up.

So he stayed with her. Miroku eased himself off the bed, onto the floor, and sat down. Leaning up against the bed, he could listen to the girl's quite breathing. He felt closer to her than he had ever felt to Yuki. But how could this be? He had never even spoken to this woman and she didn't even know he was there. Feelings were funny things, Miroku decided, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. Soon enough he was dozing, the calm breathing of a stranger lulling him to sleep.

---

Miroku couldn't say how long he had slept, but he did know what roused him now. The girl on the bed was moving, her breathing no longer slow and constant. He heard her yawn and stretch above him.

"What the? Where am I?" she wondered out loud, having looked around and realized she was not in her bed at home. She sensed rather than saw movement to her left. Immediately on guard, she scooted to the other side of the bed and peered through the darkness warily. "Who's there?"

Miroku chuckled. "You sure do ask a lot of questions for someone who just woke up." he said good-naturedly.

"Who are you?" It slipped out before she could stop it. The girl blushed, but thankfully it was dark and whoever she was talking to couldn't see.

"My name is Miroku, I work here." the voice below her responded. She could see the dark shape of a man pulling himself up off the floor. "You're in the department store at the mall." he continued.

"Oh," was all she could think to say. She felt so foolish for what she had done; honestly, who fell asleep in the middle of a store? She had just been so _exhausted_.

"What's your name?" the boy asked her.

"I'm Sango," she told him. She could see him better now and that gave her courage. Miroku didn't look much older than her. "You didn't do anything to me did you?" she demanded.

For some reason Miroku found that funny and he laughed again. "No, I didn't. If I had, would I have been sleeping on the floor?"

Sango blushed again at his logic. Not wanting to look at him, she glanced around. It was still dark outside, but she had no idea what time it was. Sango pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, determinedly ignoring Miroku, and checked the time. "Dammit!" she swore. "My phone is dead."

"It doesn't really matter anyway." Miroku told her. "Even if you were going to call a ride we can't get out. It's about two in the morning; the doors have been locked for hours."

"Didn't you say you worked here?" Sango sneered. "Can't you unlock the doors?"

Miroku shook his head. "No, I'm just a cashier. Only managers have keys." He wasn't put off by Sango's derision, in fact it made him more determined to get her to like him. "That said, we have a lot of time to get to know each other better." He smiled winningly at her.

"Are you _sure _we can't get out?" she asked, getting up from the bed and looking around for the nearest exit.

"Couldn't say, I've never spent the night here before." he replied nonchalantly as he pulled a flashlight out of his pocket and turned it on. He directed its beam on Sango, who was looking at him in confusion.

"Are you trying to tell me the only reason you stayed was because of me?" she asked quietly.

Miroku could tell she was softening up. Her initial anger had passed and she was starting to resign herself to the fact that she was going to have to stay here with him for a few hours.

_It might not be so bad, _she thought, _he's pretty cute and he's being really nice. _Just then, Sango's stomach gave a funny gurgle. She clapped a hand on in, blushing again in embarrassment. "Sorry, I guess I didn't eat dinner before I came here. Everything's such a blur, I can't really remember. I was so tired…"

"You don't have to explain anything to me." Miroku told her with a smile. "C'mere, I think I might have some food with my stuff." He started walking away from the model bed and Sango hastened to follow him. She would never admit it, but it was a comfort to her that Miroku was there. She didn't know what she would have done if she'd woken up alone in the store.

"So what made you conk out on the bed?" he asked while they walked. "Why were you so tired?"

"I'm applying to college this year," Sango told him. "Saturday night I stayed up to work on a paper for my entrance qualifications and I had too much to do Sunday to take a nap."

"Ah, so you're about eighteen?"

"Seventeen," Sango corrected him. "I was young for my grade. What about you? This can't be your _job_." she said with a grin.

"No it's not. It's part-time work to help me pay for college. I know what you're thinking, what is a college guy doing working in the bedding department of a store? To tell you the truth I was being a total tool and covering for my ex so she could hang out with her new boyfriend. I usually work up in men's."

"That doesn't make you a tool, maybe you're just a nice person." Sango commented softly.

Miroku almost thought he had imagined her words. Shrugging he said, "I didn't actually know I was being used until she came in tonight to hold it over my head. I thought she was sick. That's what she told our boss anyway."

"Bitch,"

Miroku laughed. "That's exactly what I said when I saw her."

"Sounds like you're better off without her to me." Sango's statement was accompanied by another growl of her stomach. They had reached the cash register some time ago, but both had been too distracted by their conversation to remember the food.

"I'm sorry; I'm not being a very good host." Miroku said with a wry smile. He went back behind the register and dug around for a while. Eventually he resurfaced with a box of Cheez-its. He stretched out a piece of tissue paper that was normally used to stuff bags, and poured some of the crackers on it.

"You didn't eat dinner either I'm guessing." Sango noticed amusedly.

"Nope, I got the crap shift: six to close. They give a dinner break at five thirty and expect everyone else who comes in after that to eat before work. Unfortunately I'm never hungry at that time, so I usually pick up food after work."

"But tonight you stayed to keep a stranger company and now you're starving."

He shrugged. "Don't blame yourself; I could have woken you up. I choose to stay with you."

"Why?"

Miroku took his time answering her. He ate two handfuls of Cheez-its and appeared to be pondering his response as he looked at Sango thoughtfully. "Well as you've probably guessed, I just went through a breakup that took a bit of a toll on me. Coming across a pretty girl sleeping in my department seemed too good to be true, but there you were. I felt some kind of connection to you, as ridiculous as it sounds. I wanted to stay in the off chance you woke up in time for me to talk to you. I wanted to get to know you as much as I could in one night."

Sango froze with her hand halfway to her mouth. She couldn't help flushing once again, and she was sure this time Miroku could see. He had set the flashlight on its end in between them so it would cast a circle of light, revealing their faces to each other.

Miroku smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Have you never been complimented before?" he asked with an incredulous tone.

"Not like that," she replied. "I've never been… someone that made people feel better without trying. I mean I was asleep, I didn't even know you were there."

"Sometimes that's the best way to do it. You don't have to say anything, just being there is enough." Miroku smiled as Sango continued to stare at him.

She mulled this over for some time while Miroku continued eating. This was one of the strangest situations Sango had ever found herself in. Here she was, in a department store in the middle of the night, with an extremely attractive male who was telling her that she helped mend his broken heart. Reaching for another cracker in a daze, her hand came into contact with Miroku's. Her first reaction was to blush and pull away, but Miroku hadn't moved and he wasn't giving her a weird look or… anything. As a matter of fact, he looked as if he didn't mind having her hand next to his.

"Go ahead," he said, looking at her seriously. "Take my hand if you want to. After all, who will it hurt?"

_How did he know what I was thinking? Why would he say that? He could have faced ultimate rejection in that moment, but he said it anyway, _Sango thought distractedly. Miroku's blue eyes were looking at her intently and that stopped all coherent thought. All she could do was lower her gaze to their hands and shyly put hers on top of his. She had never done anything like this before! Sango always wanted to be one-hundred percent sure of something before she trusted it. Miroku was a total stranger, albeit a stranger who had said nice things to her, and yet she felt like she could trust him with her wild, perplexing feelings. As far as she knew he could be a complete player, telling girls what they wanted to hear to get in their good favor. Yet when she looked into his eyes she realized that he was just a lonely boy who had found something special in her company. There could be no harm in that could there?

After a few moments Miroku pulled his hand out from under Sango's. She almost made a noise of protest, but then he came to join her from behind the counter. He took her hand, properly this time, threading his fingers between hers. Using his other hand as leverage, he pulled himself into a sitting position on the register counter. Sango just blinked at him until he tugged on her hand, indicating she should join him. She too jumped up onto the counter and sat next to him, keeping a little distance. It would have looked slightly awkward to anyone watching; two people holding hands but sitting half a foot away.

This was ok with Miroku. He couldn't ask too much from Sango. He didn't _want _to ask too much of her. They were not a couple after all; they barely knew anything about each other. Just having her hand in his was comforting enough. "What were you writing your paper about?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh!" Sango had been so wrapped up in physical feelings that it took her a moment to realize what Miroku was asking her. "It's kinda complicated actually… It's about family and how certain events in your life can make them so much more important to you."

"Ah, a personal paper. The professors will like that." Miroku nodded encouragingly.

Sango was surprised that he hadn't asked what events in her life she was writing about. She was even more surprised that she felt compelled to tell him. "Yes, my family was… torn apart for quite some time. My mother died giving birth to my brother, but my father, brother, and I spent many happy years together. Until the night we were robbed, that is. The robbers… they killed my father. He was the first one to wake up from the noise of them breaking in, but I soon got up and followed him. When I started screaming the men hit me in the head and knocked me out. The next thing I knew it was morning, my brother was missing, and my father was dead. It took me the better part of a year to find my brother again, but since then Kohaku and I have been doing well. I love him more than _anything_. He is so precious to me."

"That's very sad," Miroku said and, without thinking, he reached out his free hand to brush Sango's hair away from her face.

Sango let him, and even pushed her cheek against his hand at one point. It had been many years since she'd lost her father, but the pain still went deep. She would have felt selfish if she'd told Miroku her story without letting him comfort her. Of course, she had _wanted _him to do it too. People always pitied her for 'having to grow up so fast,' but Sango could tell Miroku's actions were not out of pity.

"You are full of surprises, Sango."

Disregarding what that statement made her feel, Sango decided to ask Miroku a question. "What about you and your family?"

"I'm an only child; my mother died giving birth to me. My father… he didn't live much longer either. Our family has a history of a terrible, usually fatal disease that has killed many men. He fell to it when I was a young child. After that I lived in a monastery and a man named Mushin was appointed my guardian. He is a nice man, but he has many flaws and he isn't much of a fatherly figure… yet I still love him."

"Do you… have this disease as well?" Sango inquired hesitantly.

"Yes, but it's a wonder what medicine can do for it these days. My doctors are predicting that I will survive much longer than my father and many of my ancestors, if I even die from it at all."

"That's good," she sighed, relieved. She found that in the course of their conversation they had moved closer together. This got her heart beating rather fast. Sango had never been this close to a boy before. Her relationships had often been very casual, merely holding hands and occasional warm hugs. Most of the time they sprang from an attraction to one of her male friends that she decided to act upon. None of those experiments had ever made her feel the way Miroku was making her feel right now. His proximity, his smell, and the simple pressure of his hand holding hers were enough to drive her bonkers. The wild side of her brain wondered what it would be like to kiss him, while the sane blushed and reminded her Miroku was a stranger that she would probably never see again. That made the wanton side argue back that since it _was _just for tonight, why shouldn't she have some fun? It was confusing to say the least.

"You're not planning on becoming a monk are you?" Sango asked, trying to distract herself, hoping that she wasn't an open book to Miroku.

"I thought about it, but I've decided it's not the kind of life I want. Right now I'm actually studying old Japanese legends. There's a lot of interesting things to learn through suspicion. I read that in the past men might have shared the earth with demons. It's said the monks and priestesses used to have magic that would protect against them. I wouldn't have minded being a monk of that sort." he said with a smile, wrapping his arm around Sango as he spoke. "You see I'm a rather protective sort of person. I like to keep precious things safe. And I suppose getting to play the hero every once in awhile wouldn't have been bad either."

Sango giggled at his last comment and unconsciously snuggled into Miroku's embrace. "I really don't know what I want to do." she admitted sheepishly. "I'm applying to a generic college that gives out all kinds of degrees. I'm sorta hoping something will just hit me and I'll realize what I want to do with my life."

"There's no shame in that." Miroku assured her. He began to rub Sango's lower back gently.

"Stop it!" she exclaimed unexpectedly.

Miroku hastily pulled away from her. "I'm sorry, I didn't notice I was becoming so forward."

"That's _not _what I mean, Miroku. I mean stop inching closer and closer to your goal, it's driving me crazy. I know what you want to do. Go ahead and kiss me, after all it won't hurt anyone." Sango finished her outburst with her heart beating franticly.

Suddenly Miroku could see that he and Sango were the same; they were both lonely. He had just been dumped by a girl he really cared about. Sango had never _truly_ been with someone. They both had broken families, but loved them all the same. Yet in those families they had never had anyone to connect to. Sango didn't want to bother Kohaku with problems he might not understand. Miroku didn't know how to tell Mushin about his girl issues. And tonight they had found each other, as though fate would have it. They trusted each other without understanding it; they were attracted to each other without even knowing each other. At the same time they _did _know each other. It was such a tangled web of feelings that was too complex to explore in this short amount of time.

Miroku chuckled at Sango's statement—it had been almost the same thing he had said before. "I suppose you're right, a kiss never hurt anyone."

So saying that, Miroku took Sango's chin in his fingers and gently turned her face up so she was looking directly at him. Her eyes slid closed as he leaned down to capture her lips in a sweet kiss. He only kissed her for a few, fleeting moments before pulling away. This meant too much for him to ruin it by trying to make out with her if she didn't want to. Astonishingly, when Sango opened her eyes again, Miroku saw regret reflected in them.

"Is that really all a kiss is?" she asked quietly. True, it had been wonderful, but she had been imaging something a little different. Weren't kissed supposed to burn your mouth, make your lips swell, and cause your to heart dance? What Miroku had given her was little more than a kiss she would have gotten from her brother.

"Sometimes," Miroku replied, hating the sound of disappointment in her voice. "Kisses can be like that when you're afraid to take it too far because this means so much to you."

"Then kiss me like you mean it." Sango told him, her eyes burning with passion. "Make me look like my friends when they come home from seeing a movie with their boyfriends."

Miroku wasted no time in claiming Sango's lips again. He moved his lips against hers trying to chase away the nervousness he could tell she still had. Oh yes, she talked tough, but he knew she was scared. He was her first kiss, and she was afraid she would make mistakes. But it didn't take long for him to convince her to start trying new things on her own. He let her experiment for awhile, first kissing him softly, then harder, and then soft again, but always with her lips closed. She pulled away for air after a minute or so, resting her forehead against his. She barely had anytime to catch her breath before Miroku was kissing her again. Only this now, he wasn't letting her play it safe.

He put his hand on the back of her head, pushing her lips to his more forcefully. He pulled at her bottom lip with his teeth, only to force their lips back together again. Miroku used his free hand to push Sango's back, melding her body to his. He held her there until he was sure she would stay, and then buried his hand in her hair. Licking her lips, he tried to get Sango to give him entrance, but she was already so caught up in what he'd been doing that she didn't understand his request. She was breathless again so Miroku pulled away. Sango was panting and looking at Miroku in amazement while he played with her hair, waiting until her breathing returned to normal.

"Miroku, that was—" he cut her off sufficiently with another kiss. It was easy for him to push his tongue in between her startled lips. Sango moaned while Miroku's tongue explored every inch of her mouth. He could feel her tense when he found a particularly sensitive spot and he concentrated on that for awhile. Then it became a test to get her to join in as well. He ran his tongue along hers, making her shiver with delight. She gripped his shoulders harder, and urged him to continue by pulling him even closer than before.

So Miroku pulled his tongue out of her mouth. He could tell from her movements that she was confused, especially when he would flick his tongue back into her mouth, teasing her. But when she wanted it badly enough she thrust her tongue into _his_ mouth, headless of whether she was doing this right or not. Miroku responded to her and their tongues tangled with each other, making them moan together.

When oxygen became and unfortunate necessity, Miroku kept them busy by letting his lips and tongue wander along Sango's neck. She was pressing his head to her skin with such fervor that he couldn't help marking her. Shivering as he kissed and sucked at her neck, Sango pushed herself on top of Miroku. They nearly fell off the counter but that didn't stop Miroku from fairly devouring her neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled away from her neck for a few moments. Smiling, he kissed her forehead gently before closing his eyes and allowing them to cool down a bit. Sango laid her head on Miroku's chest and listened to his heart beat. She was taken aback to hear it was almost as crazy as hers.

"Was that better?" he asked with a laugh.

"That was more of a kiss than I'd ever dreamed of having." Sango replied, still breathless.

"Well, I'm sure your friends will realize what you were doing tonight." Miroku said amusedly.

Sango felt like he was mocking her, and dared to wonder, "What are you talking about?"

Miroku touched her neck in the same spot he'd been kissing her. "Now, now my pretty, did you think this mark would go away overnight?"

She gasped and put her hand on top of Miroku's. Blushing furiously, she hoped no one would ask about the mark. At the same time, she was almost proud of it. Sango had enjoyed—thoroughly enjoyed—what had happened with Miroku, but she knew she couldn't just go around displaying the mark like a badge. She'd have to get Kagome to help her cover it up somehow. But that could be worried about later. Putting her head back down on Miroku's chest she said, "It doesn't matter. People will say it's about time I got some action." Miroku began to laugh again and Sango decided she loved feeling his chest vibrate under her that way.

Yawning, Sango pulled Miroku's wrist to her so she could look at his watch. Four thirty-eight. They had been talking for most of that time… right? Miroku saw the look on Sango's face and laughed again.

"Don't worry," he told her, petting her hair. "There's plenty of opportunity to expand our time."

Sango's mouth fell open and she hit him, quite hard, on the shoulder. "Pervert!" she cried.

Miroku shrugged. "You're the one that got me hot like this."

Heat seared to Sango's face as she realized just _what _Miroku was implicating. She hit him again, this time on the head, but not hard enough to hurt… a lot. Pulling herself off the counter, she managed to get her feet on the ground without falling over. This was a feat in itself; Sango had felt like her legs were made out of jelly after what Miroku had done to her. She started walking away from him, but it wasn't long before his strong arms caught her in an embrace once again. He kissed her neck in one of the more sensitive spots, making her nearly collapse in his arms. Scooping Sango up in his arms, he carried her to the model bed he had first found her on. He dumped her on the bed, gave her another searing kiss, and planted himself on the floor where she had initially seen him.

"Don't do that, come up here with me." she told him innocently.

"Despite the fact that the bed is barely big enough for _you_, it would be very bad for us both if one of my coworkers caught us sleeping together tomorrow morning." Miroku replied with an amused smile.

Blushing once more, Sango nodded, now understanding why he had decided to sit on the floor. She felt disappointed again, but tried to hide it. Sango wouldn't force Miroku to get in trouble just because she wanted him near her. It didn't take long, however, for Miroku to reach his hand up onto the bed and take hold of hers. He squeezed her fingers gently before closing his eyes and falling asleep almost immediately.

Sango woke once more to the bickering of two male voices. One she recognized as Miroku's, the other must be whomever had found them sleeping.

"Look, it was past close when I found her, and before I could decide what to do the lights went out and the doors were locked. I didn't want her to get into trouble since it was my fault so I just stayed with her." Miroku explained in a rush.

"You should have _called _somebody!" the other man retorted, throwing his arms in the air.

"I didn't want to inconvenience anyone. Besides, it's not like we hurt anything! Maybe the display bed is a little crumpled, if so I'll fix it for you."

The older man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Ok Miroku, I'll let it go this time. I won't even tell Maturu-sama about it. You're a good kid and a hard worker, and this isn't even your department, so I'll overlook it. Just take the girl and go home."

Miroku bowed and escaped from his harassed looking manager. When he looked over to the bed, he found Sango sitting up. "That went pretty well don't you think?" he asked with a smile. "Now why don't we behave and do what Watari-san said?" he held his hand out to Sango and helped her off the bed.

"Exactly _what _are we going to do that he said?" she asked suspiciously.

"Why I'm going to take you home of course!" Miroku replied. "Home with _me_, that is."

Sango playfully hit Miroku again, but giggled despite herself. Miroku grabbed Sango's hand and she allowed him to pull her to his car. She screamed when he gunned the engine, and they tore out of the parking lot at forty miles an hour. When they reached the street, Miroku took a hand off the steering wheel and held Sango's hand again. Closing her eyes, Sango smiled and squeezed his hand. She realized that this thing with him hadn't ended when they woke up this morning. That made her happier than she could ever express, because now she felt it too. She felt the connection Miroku had been talking about. Yes, she should have recognized what she was feeling when Miroku first described the connection to her, but Sango had always wanted to trust something one-hundred percent before she was sure of it. Miroku she was _sure_ of.

* * *

AN: This was one of my steamier pieces, I hope I did ok writing that part... I'm experimenting with T rated romance lol. Merry (early) Christmas, and if you don't celebrate Christmas then I just gave you the gift of a cute MirSan one-shot for no reason. ;D


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